Roger Sharpe is a legendary pinball figure and designer most famous for demonstrating pinball as a game of skill in a 1976 testimony to the NYC Council, which led to the legalization of pinball machines. He is a game designer (co-designer of Barracora), licensing consultant, pinball historian, and author who has been instrumental in the pinball industry's development. He is the father of Josh and Zach Sharp, and remains an active and respected voice in the community, appearing at major events like Pinball Expo and serving as a judge for industry awards.
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Roger Sharp made a commemorative shot at the Pinball Capital opening
Roger Sharp recently recreated his famous pinball shot at The Pinball Capital opening
If Roger Sharp had not made his famous court shot, the pinball industry and modern community would not exist in its current form
Roger Sharp recreated his famous shot at Pinball Capital's opening in Stone Park, Illinois
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If Roger Sharp had not made his famous shot, pinball might not exist as a legal game today
Roger Sharp believes one of the major issues in modern pinball is that players lose sight of the ball; exit paths are more critical than entry points
Roger Sharp is open to reissuing his pinball book
Roger Sharp has been approached about reissuing his pinball book
Roger Sharp never lived his life with regrets (would have, should have, could have)
Roger Sharp may attend Pinball at the Beach in St. Petersburg, Florida (February 6-8)
Roger Sharp's book about pinball industry may be re-released; Sharp stated he uncovered a stash of copies
Roger Sharp intends to attend Chicago Expo and has scheduled multiple domestic and overseas appearance commitments
Mike Stroll offered Roger Sharp a vice president position at Williams in 1980
Roger Sharp's father died at age 52, which influenced his perspective on lifespan expectations
Roger Sharp coined the term 'soft license' to describe licenses where the licensor gives designers creative freedom
Roger Sharp stated that any industry needs at least two manufacturers to survive
Roger Sharp encouraged Lyman to leave MITRE and facilitated his entry into professional pinball design, first through Data East after Larry DeMar at Williams deemed him not ready, then eventually to Williams/Stern
Early pinball designers treated game history as 'disposable' and did not deliberately build upon or reference earlier games
Roger Sharp and Harry Williams came close to designing multiple games together for Brunswick's home machine line but the project 'faltered'
Roger Sharp's movie 'The Man Who Saved Pinball' (2022) includes interviews with Harry Williams discussing his career
IFPA founder Roger Sharp agrees that tournaments should use timed formats instead of full game play
Roger Sharp was a guest on Special When Lit around episodes 50-60 and met in person with Ken and Bill at Jamesons restaurant
Roger Sharp is a legendary designer who lives in the Chicagoland area near the hosts
Roger Sharp proved in 1976 before the New York City Council that pinball was a game of skill rather than luck, resulting in lifting the NYC ban.
Roger Sharp helped lift pinball bans in the 1970s by proving pinball was a game of skill
Roger Sharp was unable to attend Pintastic in person due to pilot shortage affecting flights to smaller airports
Roger Sharp wrote the introduction to the book
The book covers Roger Sharp and how he saved pinball
A biographical film about Roger Sharp and pinball is in development
Players can accomplish things they've never accomplished before through controlled flipper play
The biggest hurdle for most people is that they think the ball is not controllable
Pinball was based on skill, not on chance
Roger Sharp biopic will begin production in October
'Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game' biopic begins production in October with Joel Courtney and Crystal Reed as leads
Roger Sharp argued before the New York City legislature that pinball was a game of skill, making it legal
Roger Sharp stated that location pinball is the future and blamed Munsters' underperformance on lack of location deployment
Standard pinball licensing agreements are typically three-year contracts with possible extensions based on product success
Harry Potter as a pinball license represents a larger licensing challenge than Star Wars due to greater brand control
Stranger Things was a strong licensing property but failed to reach the core pinball buyer demographic
Harry Potter licensing is more restrictive/absorbent than Star Wars licensing.
Joe Kamenkau is going to get the Harry Potter pinball license.
Roger Sharp stated on Super Awesome Pinball Show that Joe Kamenkal is getting the Harry Potter pinball license
Stranger Things pinball was a strong license theme but may not have reached the demographic of pinball machine buyers effectively.
IP licensing typically involves upfront payment at contract signing plus royalty accrual, with royalties sometimes beginning after guaranteed production thresholds are met.
Standard pinball IP licensing agreements are three-year terms, with potential extensions based on product success.
A biopic of Roger Sharp is in early development with multiple production companies
Roger Sharp and Steve Epstein founded IFPA competitive pinball structure together
Roger Sharp was 14 years old when he started in the pinball business; Addams Family released in 1992
Pinball Expo's top four finishers last year were all under age 20
Roger Sharp said Barracuda was originally going to be called Las Vegas
Roger Sharp stated that Barracuda was originally intended to be called Las Vegas
Steve Epstein and Roger Sharp were best friends for 45 years
Roger Sharp secured Pirates license for Jersey Jack Pinball and Hot Wheels license for American Pinball
Roger Sharp is assisting American Pinball with Hot Wheels licensing
Roger Sharp helped with Hot Wheels IP licensing negotiations
Roger Sharp proved that pinball was a game of skill, overturning the NYC ban and fundamentally changing Broadway Arcade's business model and success.
Keith Owen designed Jurassic Park with sophisticated playfield geometry including punishing post placement in front of upper right flipper
Keith Owen was previously unknown to Roger Sharp but demonstrates strong knowledge of pinball design principles
Global reach and service infrastructure require regional distributors rather than direct international shipping
Traditional coin-op distributor networks have consistently failed when attempting direct-to-consumer sales models historically
Roger Sharp provided input and guidance on the Attack from Mars remake
Roger Sharp has shaved his iconic mustache multiple times over the years, not just recently
Barakara was held from release for 3 years (1979-1982) because Williams management believed all games needed double-level playfields
The Harley-Davidson Williams pinball machine was negatively impacted by shorter-than-standard flippers
Modern pinball market supports multiple successful design philosophies including simple-but-deep, original themes, and licensed IP
Pinball 2000 was designed to allow location operators to fix machines without access to the cash box
Barcades represent a transformative social venue that has democratized both pinball and gender participation in arcade gaming
Roger Sharp is the father of Josh and Jack Sharp (correcting earlier reference to Zach)
Roger Sharp has been in the pinball industry for over 40 years
DUI laws (eliminating happy hours) were a primary cause of pinball's decline in the 1990s-2000s
Williams/Bally market was historically 60% domestic (US) and 40% foreign (primarily Europe)
Total Nuclear Annihilation succeeded because it offers simple surface-level rules with deep underlying complexity
Roger Sharp prevented pinball from being completely banned in New York City in 1976 by demonstrating it as a skill game
Roger Sharp is known for hitting shots repeatedly that are worth nothing because he likes the way they play
Roger Sharp testified in a Cincinnati court case that established pinball as a game of skill to legalize free play in Ohio
Roger Sharp testified before NYC Council in 1976 and demonstrated pinball as a game of skill, leading to legalization
Roger Sharp has been involved in pinball for approximately 40 years, wrote a book on pinball, testified in New York to help legalize pinball, designed games, and is recognized as a skilled player